Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to shared and sustainable peace, an economy that works for people and earth, Just Approaches to Forced Displacement and Migration. Its work is based on the Quaker belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice.
Position Description
Job Title: Program Officer, Somalia
Job Category: Exempt
Status: Full Time, Contract (2 years)
Supervisor: Programme Coordinator, Somalia
Region/Unit: Somalia, International Programs - Africa
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Date Approved:
Program Description: AFSC works on behalf of American Quakers to build peace with justice in Africa and around the world. AFSC has been active on the African continent for over 50 years. The AFSC started to work in Somalia in 2008. AFSC focuses on conflict prevention and peacebuilding, social justice, human displacement, Migration, and humanitarian assistance. Its geographic priorities are chosen according to the impact and potential for conflict.
Summary of Responsibilities: The Program Officer (PO) will support efforts to promote youth innovations, creativity, rebuilding of the social fabric and enhancement of peaceful coexistence of communities. The PO will also assist in efforts to increase the capacity of young men and women to become leaders for positive change through knowledge and skills transfer, sharing of experiences, exposure, and policy advocacy both within and outside Somalia with a broader focus on healing and social reconciliation. It is envisioned that the intervention will result in creating a community-based leadership that seeks ways of breaking the cycle of violence, promote social reconciliation, support people on the move/Migrants and promote resettlement processes.
Essential Responsibilities and Duties:
- Work directly with AFSC implementing partners to plan and implement the program that aims to address the cycle of conflict in Somalia and promote peaceful co-existence among the communities.
- Develop resources, relationships, and processes for increasing the capacity of partner organizations and Somalia to be innovative and creative in peace building initiatives.
- Identify and provide support to planning innovative and creative initiatives by Somali youth, including proposal development for grants seeking.
- Develop and implement an advocacy engagement strategy to respond to issues affecting Somalia youth.
- Articulate AFSC’s values and principles including its commitment to peace and nonviolent approaches to social justice and peacebuilding among partner organizations.
- Provide support to efforts towards spaces and learning circles for peace builders’ interactions through organizational exchange visits, representations, and networking.
- Support research, developing policy briefs, writing of briefs, case studies, program knowledge management and other relevant materials reflecting on best practices and lesson learnt for periodic AFSC Somalia publication and presentation to local and international audiences.
- Support continuous monitoring and evaluation from a results-based perspective. This may include and not limited to review of data collection tools or strategies, recommend intervention strategies and activities from the findings of the current and earlier assessments as well as informed by global and regional trends to ensure ongoing program responsiveness and relevance.
- Produce program reports, craft flyers and brochures, consolidating data, draft power point presentations and prepare reports for publications: Review narrative and financial reports of grants from partners. Assist in developing strategy for external communication and engaging with media.
- Contribute to the development of training modules, curricula, and courses to train trainers to meet the different needs of Somalia program partners.
- Technically support the Somalia program partners to improve in their peace building and trauma healing program delivery to their targeted population with greater impact and effectiveness.
- Carry out regular field visit to the partner sites to monitor implementation progress and offer mentorship and accompaniment to partners.
- Support capacity building of Somalia peace builders in mainstream trauma healing into peacebuilding initiatives.
- Support a strategic mainstreaming of the Somalia programming into AFSC’s Dialogue and Exchange program
Minimum Qualifications:
Education:
- Degree in a relevant field such as psychology, social work, Sociology, development studies, international Affairs, peace/ conflict studies, or related field.
Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years’ experience in relevant work.
Other Required Skills & Abilities:
- Strong Writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills
- Experience in project coordination, relationship building, and remote partnership
- Ability to develop collegial and professional relationships with various stakeholder groups, especially religious and traumatized communities.
- Excellent leadership, facilitation, communication, and peace program development skills.
- The ideal candidate will be highly organized in their work and passionate about trauma healing initiatives that have the power to enhance peaceful coexistence.
- Ability to take own initiative and work both independently and as a team.
- A desire to grow the program and individually through the work.
- Ability to meet deadlines under pressure.
- Capacity to work in a multicultural environment
Assignment: This position will be offered on an initial two (2) year contract with possibility of renewal.
The American Friends Service Committee is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified persons are encouraged to apply regardless of their religious affiliation, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.
AFSC’s Central Office and some of its offices in the U.S are unionized workplaces. This position is not represented under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
AFSC maintains a deep commitment to a mandate of care for our staff and communities, and thus requires vaccination for COVID-19; as well as adherence to social distancing, masking, and office occupancy protocols.
The American Friends Service Committee is a smoke-free workplace.
How to apply
Interested applicants who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit their Cover letter and CV (with three referees). The applications should reach AFSC by COB on 26th June 2023.
The applications should be sent electronically to:
The Country Representative - Somalia
P.O. Box 66448 – 00800
Nairobi, Kenya
On email: infoafrica@afsc.org
The AFSC is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.